a. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a robotic catheter system and method for automated control of a catheter and related components. In particular, the instant invention relates to a robotic catheter system providing haptic feedback during manipulation of a catheter and related components, for example, for diagnostic, therapeutic, mapping and ablative procedures.
b. Background Art
Electrophysiology catheters are used in a variety of diagnostic and/or therapeutic medical procedures to correct conditions such as atrial arrhythmia, including for example, ectopic atrial tachycardia, atrial fibrillation, and atrial flutter. Arrhythmia can create a variety of dangerous conditions including irregular heart rates, loss of synchronous atrioventricular contractions and stasis of blood flow which can lead to a variety of ailments and even death.
Typically in a procedure, a catheter is manipulated through a patient's vasculature to, for example, a patient's heart, and carries one or more electrodes which may be used for mapping, ablation, diagnosis, or other treatments. Once at the intended site, treatment may include radio frequency (RF) ablation, cryoablation, lasers, chemicals, high-intensity focused ultrasound, etc. An ablation catheter imparts such ablative energy to cardiac tissue to create a lesion in the cardiac tissue. This lesion disrupts undesirable electrical pathways and thereby limits or prevents stray electrical signals that lead to arrhythmias. As readily apparent, such treatment requires precise control of the catheter during manipulation to and at the treatment site, which can invariably be a function of a user's skill level.
One method of assisting a user with such treatment procedures includes the use of catheter based sensors for detecting force, contact, or proximity to the endocardial wall. For example, a user can view a graphical user interface to determine or confirm when an endocardial wall has been contacted or maneuver a catheter by viewing it relative to the vicinity of the endocardial wall. Such a method of information transmission is however limited in that a user's attention may be focused elsewhere. Further, when tissue contact sensing is combined with a robotic catheter system, where the catheter is being manipulated by a device such as a joystick or another controller, the normal mechanical feedback relayed to the user via the catheter shaft and handle can be lost.
The inventors herein have thus recognized a need for a system and method for precise and dynamic automated control of a catheter and its related components, for example, for diagnostic, therapeutic, mapping and ablative procedures, that will provide haptic feedback to a user in a variety of predetermined or user-specific forms, for assisting a user with a procedure, particularly with a robotic catheter system.